Self-playing instrument.



P. DUFFY. I

SELF PLAYING INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 12, 1911.

1,072,437. Patented Sept. 9, 1913.

' Pez/erDu UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER DUFFY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE SCHUBERT PIANO COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SELF-lIaAYING- INSTRUMENT.

Serial No. 643,67 8.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, PETER DUFFY, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Playing Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to self-playing instruments or automatic piano players, the object thereof being to provide means for controlling the player action thereof, which means is comparatively simple in construction and operation and is in position to be manipulated by the operator so that it can be utilized at will and when used facilitates the pumping of the instrument, while enabling it to be operated much more easily.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective View of a self-playing pianoforte with parts of the casing broken away to illustrate the present improvement attached thereto; and Fig. 2 is a view of the present improvement detached from the casing.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the figures of the drawing.

The present improvement is particularly adapted for self-playing instruments and is located within the case 2 of the instrument, which has the usual player action 3 including the usual wind-chests, connected by tubes or pipes 4 With the reservoir-bellows 5 and bellows 6 operated by the usual pumping pedals 7 and connected in some suitable manner.

The improvement comprises an extra or auxiliary reservoir in the form of a bellows 8 located within the piano case and connected by a pipe or tube 9 with one of the pipes or tubes leading to the main bellows or reservoir 6. For controlling the operation of this bellows it is provided with a valve 10, shown as a slide valve and preferably made of Wood covered With leather, supported within a suitable casing ll-located on top of the bellows or reservoir 8. For manipulating this valve thereby to throw the bellows into action, suitable means is provided. In the present instance this means consists of a valve-controlling lever 12 located in position below the key bed 13, whereby it may be readily manipulated by the operator. This lever is pivoted, as at 14, one end thereof projecting into an accessible position for the operator, while the opposite end thereof is connected by a link 15 with an arm 16 of a vertically located rock shaft 17 suitably supported by brackets 18 secured to the casing of the instrument. The lower end of this rock shaft is provided with an arm- 19 connected by a link or rod 20 to the valve rod 21 of the valve, and suitable means is provided for adjusting the connection between these rods. In the present instance the valve rod is provided with a threaded end for the reception of suitable nuts for securing the looped end of the rod 20 to the valve rod 21.

From the foregoing it will be observed that on manipulating the valve-controlling lever at the keyboard the slide valve will be shifted so as to either close or open the communication between the extra reservoir or bellows 8 and the connecting tube 9 opening into the valve casing, the reservoir being, of course, provided with an opening below the slide valve. As this extra reservoir is connected by its pipe 9 with the usual bellows operated by the pedals, it follows that it can be thrown into or out of action by the valvecontrolling lever at the will of the operator, and that the improvement can be readily applied without in any way interfering with the usual construction of bellows or the player action, so that if desired it can be applied to instruments already in use, and when so applied the pumping of the player is much easier, and experiments have proved that the player repeats and plays much softer on low wind and is therefore specially well adapted for women, in View of the fact that the pumping of the instrument is much easier when this extra reservoir is thrown into operation.

Another advantage of the present improvement is that the operator may stop pumping for a short time, but by means of the large reservoir space the player will keep on playing for a short time. When the extra reservoir is cut oi the player is operated solely from the main reservoir, so that such extra reservoir does not prevent in any Way the operation of the instrument through the medium of the main reservoir when so desired; but as some players desire less resistance to the pedals, or to pump soft as it is called, this result is readily Patented Sept. 9,1913.

voir, while with those players who desire some resistance to the pedals this can-"be easily obtained also by cutting out "the reservoir by means of the valve-controlling lever.

volr having a condult connection wlth that I claim as my invention:

1. A self-playing 1nstrument having combination with the player action 'and the main bellows therefor connected by a con-' duit, an auxiliary reservoir-bellows connectedwith said conduit vand independent of;

saidmain :bellows, and means position to be manipulated by the operator for throw-1 such auxiliary reservoir bellows into-on [out of .action and comprlslng. a valve can ried by said reservoir bellows, a swinging lever and :means connecting said swinging lever with said. valve for controlling the same.

,2. .AMseliplaying instrument having in combination with the player action and .the a main bellows therefor connected therewith tion to be manipulated by the operator for throwing such auxiliary reservoir bellows into or out of action and comprising a slide valve carried by :said reservoir bellows, acasing therefor -connected with the ,conduit 1 leading to vsaid first conduit, a swinginglever and means connecting said .swmglng' lever with said valve for controlling the:

same and including a rook-shaft.

3. A self-playing instrument having in combination with the" player action and main bellows, a reservoir and conduits connecting said main bellows and reservoir with the player action, an auxiliary reserconduit located between the main ellows and said reservoir, a valve carried 'by said auxiliary reservoir, and means in position to be manipulated by the operator for :controlling the movement of said valve !thereby to throw said auxiliary reservoir iinto -or out of action. 7

4. A selfaplaying instrument having in' combination with ,the player action and main bellows, a reservoir and conduits vcon- ;nectingsaid main bellows and reservoir with the player action, an auxiliary reservoir hawing a conduit connection with that :con- :duit located between the main bellows and said reservoir, .a slide valv e,.a casing icarrie by said auxiliary reservoir for said slide valve, a ,pivoted lever, and arockshaft connection between said lever and said slide valve for controlling the valve thereby .to throw such auxiliary reservoir into .or out of action.

Signed at New York, .N. Y.., .thisllth day of August, 1911.

PETER DUFFY.

Witnesses:

.Pn'rnn DUFFY, L. H. HARBOIME.

cm of this maten't maybe aobtainedtfor dive 10821175 each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. waahington,D.'C i 

